


Snapshots

by deo-agent (WillowRoseBrook)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Photography
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-20 23:26:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11345307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WillowRoseBrook/pseuds/deo-agent
Summary: Alex Danvers meets Maggie Sawyer in her photography class, and somehow along the way they end up friends. And then friends who have sex. Alex definitely isn't gay though, it was just once, a friendly thing. And then it happens again. And again.The High School AU I said I'd never write. For once in my life, I have the whole story planned out ahead of time. I'll update the tags as I go.





	Snapshots

“Oh shit, I developed it emulsion side down. Ms. Jones is going to kill me.” Alex glanced over at Maggie. The girl held a dripping piece of paper by one corner, shaking it with disgust. She dropped it into the trash can and whirled around.

“It was just a test strip, right?” Alex asked, trying hard not to take a little bit of joy in the other girl’s mistake.

Maggie nodded briskly, quickly returning to her station and starting again. Alex shook her head, dropping her own photo into the fixer bath.

Alex liked photography. Her senior year had landed her in an art class and she had picked blindly, guided only by the far more artistically inclined Kara’s warning that Alex should never touch a paintbrush again. Alex found the dark room soothing, and the logical repetitiveness of developing photos came naturally to her, Her photographs were mediocre--Ms.  
Jones said she lacked “a daring vision”-- but the teacher liked her because she worked hard.

Maggie Sawyer, on the other hand, was something else. She was a disorganized mess, never on time, but each photograph she took was breathtakingly unique. The teacher would hold it up to the light, her face softening as she pointed out its nuances. Maggie always acted like she didn't care when Ms. Jones praised her, but Alex noticed the tiny smile that lit just her eyes.

Maggie was too cool for Alex--someone she’d only ever talk to in the classroom. Her hand was always running through her long dark hair, the other tucked into her jacket pocket with perfect nonchalance.

Alex glanced at the clock before lifting her paper from the tray. Three minutes in the water bath.

“Danvers!” Alex whipped around to find Maggie waving her over, her eyes not leaving the table. “C’mere.”

She stepped towards Maggie’s machine.

“This look focused to you?” Maggie glanced up from the table to meet Alex’s eyes. Alex froze, her mouth opening.

“Perfect.”

“Thanks.” Maggie gave her a smile and a friendly pat on the back, and Alex stepped backwards. Her eyes flitted to the projection--perfectly focused-- before responding this time..

“Any time.”

Maggie winked. Alex turned on her heels and went back to work. She pulled her photo from the water bath a minute early and held it up to the safety light. She scrutinized it--a bird on a tree branch-- and pulled it down, heading to leave.

“Nice,” said Maggie. Alex paused.

“Thanks. Ms. Jones is going to send me back, though. It’s too dark.”

“I won’t have to be lonely in here, then.” Maggie’s soft curls bounced as she turned her head to eye Alex. Alex looked at the floor.

Alex pushed the exit door open without knocking and let it close slowly behind her. She stood in the light trap, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness while she just breathed. She didn’t know what it was about Maggie that threw her off so much. Maybe she just wasn’t used to people being so friendly to her. She definitely wasn’t used to people being better than her. She straightened and opened the far door, stepping back into the classroom.

“I’m finished,” she called. Ms. Jones had her back to Alex, standing with another student over the light table. “I think it’s a little too dark, though.”

“You’ve got this down to a science, girl,” she called back. “Whatever you think is best.”

“Four seconds,” Alex decided. Ms. Jones never looked back. Alex tried not to be disappointed. 

She clipped the photo onto the drying rack upside down, shaking her head. Making sure she knocked first this time, she stepped back into the dark room. 

Her second print came out better. Alex joined Maggie in leaning up against the counter as she waited for it to process. Alex snuck a glance over at Maggie, worrying her tongue between her teeth. The silence agitated Alex, though she could tell from Maggie’s face that the other girl was content.

“What are you printing?” she asked. Maggie’s head jerked, like she had been snapped from a reverie. The corners of her mouth turned upward.

“A picture of my nephew playing in the dirt.”

“How old is he?”

“He’s two. A real troublemaker if I ever saw one.”

Alex snorted in agreement. She could only imagine what Maggie would have been like at that age. 

“He’s got that look in his eyes.” Maggie paused. Her eyes narrowed. “You’ve got it too.”

Alex’s mouth slipped open and she drew in a breath. 

“I’ve never--” 

“Never what, Danvers?” Maggie’s smile was teasing and Alex relaxed. She let out a little laugh, and Maggie raised her eyebrows. “I’m going to go see what the Jones thinks of this photo. Wish me luck.” She pulled the photo from the fixer bath with just her fingers and hurried out of the room.

Alex pulled her top lip back into her mouth as she watched the other girl leave. She stood back from the counter and switched trays. The door opened and Alex straightened, but it wasn’t Maggie. An even shorter figure clomped in in combat boots.

“Do you think I have time to start?” Chelsea asked. The sophomore was squinting hard at the clock.

“Probably not,” Alex answered. “There’re only fifteen minutes before the bell rings.” Chelsea mumbled something about Alex being right, but went to her station anyway and started the process of sliding her negatives into the machine entirely backwards. Alex wondered if she should help, but Chelsea had already ignored her advice once. She’d figure it out on her own.

The door opened again and this time it was Maggie. She lay her photo in the waterbath. 

“Kid, wrong way,” she called as she passed Chelsea, who swore and yanked the film strip out. 

“What’d Jones say?” Alex asked.

“She liked it. Wants me to make a bigger print tomorrow for the spring showcase, I guess.” 

Alex pushed down the tiny swell of jealousy and smiled. There was no note of cockiness in the other girl’s voice. 

“That’s great.”

“You almost done?”

“Um, photo in the water wash.”

“Cool.”  
An almost deafening clattering arose from behind them and Alex whipped around. Chelsea had dropped an easel to the floor and stood over it, cursing. She gave it a kick and took her supplies, storming out of the darkroom.

“God,” Alex muttered. Maggie didn’t reply, just went to pick the easel up off the floor, sliding it back into its drawer. She switched Chelsea’s machine off carefully. Alex averted her eyes as Maggie came back to stand beside her.

“Kids,” Alex complained. Maggie’s smile was a little sad.

“Yeah.”

Alex felt bad.

She went back to her own station to start to clean up, sliding her negatives carefully from the machine and back into their plastic sleeves. Maggie didn’t move to start a new print or clean up her own station, she just watched Alex, a gentle smile on her face. She didn’t move until Alex had finished cleaning up, then started covering the plastic trays. 

“See you around, Danvers,” she called as Alex exited the photo room.

“Yeah,” Alex called back, her voice drowned out by the ringing bell.

Alex couldn’t focus through all of her last hour class. She wrote it off as Mrs. Baldman’s lesson plan.


End file.
